Health Care

Tennessee orders families of severely ill children to report immigration status or lose care

Letters were distributed to roughly 400 families enrolled in the state Children’s Special Services program.
Gov. Bill Lee speaks during a news conference Wednesday, May 20, 2026, celebrating that the 2030 Super Bowl being held at the Tennessee Titans football team’s Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee officials are informing families enrolled in a medical assistance program for severely ill or disabled children that they will have to report their immigration status by the end of the month if they want to continue receiving care.

Letters distributed to roughly 400 families enrolled in the state Children’s Special Services program represent one of the most aggressive enforcement efforts to date of a wave of state actions aimed at using health and social services to aid in federal immigration enforcement. 

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